


Through the Night

by bluefay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Car rides, Driving, F/F, Femslash February, Friends to Lovers, Holyhead Harpies Quidditch Team, Lesbian Ginny Weasley, Magizoologist Luna Lovegood, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Queer Luna Lovegood, Quidditch Player Ginny Weasley, Spring, Sunsets, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluefay/pseuds/bluefay
Summary: Ginny tells herself that she's content with the way things are.Luna proves her otherwise.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	Through the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and happy Valentine's Day! Here's a little linny for your Friday <3
> 
> Thank you so much [icarusinflight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusinflight) for betaing on such short notice!
> 
> And here's the [song referenced](https://open.spotify.com/track/418gyIJdAZSZisVdzDXLNc?si=5d1cf6e54f364089) if anyone wishes to listen to it!

Ginny touched down on the pitch, her shoes muddy and Quidditch robes soaked through with sweat. She held back, watching as her teammates rushed for the changing rooms, everyone seeming as though they had a place to be.

Even from outside the changing rooms, Ginny could hear Heather Gordon asking anyone willing to listen if they’d like to join her for a pint down at the Leaky.

Upon entering the changing rooms, she was immediately hit with the smell of sweat and grass stains. She wandered through her teammates, most of whom were stripped down to nothing but their pants and bras, and headed to her locker, located on the far right side of the room. As she pulled out her bag, a bundle of clean clothes, and trainers, Gordon made her way up beside Ginny, leaning against the row of lockers.

“Hey, Weasley,” Gordon began, a wide smile spreading across her face. “A few of us are headed to the Leaky if you want to come.”

“Thanks, but I’m really just looking to go home,” Ginny said as she arduously peeled her uniform from her damp skin, leaving the robes in a heap on the ground.

“That’s what you say _every_ Friday. Why is it you want to get home so badly? Someone waiting for you?” Gordon asked, winking on her last question.

Ginny hastily pulled on her tracksuit bottoms, ignoring the uncomfortable knot her stomach was twisting itself into. “Sort of.”

“Lucky girl! Well, see you Monday, then,” Gordon said, offering her a small wave before wandering off.

As soon as she’d shoved her hoodie over her head and chucked on her shoes, Ginny stuffed her dirty robes into her bag and headed towards the fireplace that sat in the back of the changing rooms. After watching Giselle Williams disappear in a burst of green flames, she stepped into the fireplace, taking a small handful of Floo powder from a bowl on the table to her right.

Then, letting the Floo powder fall from the cracks between her fingers, she said, “Thirteen Valley Drive, Maidenhead.”

A moment later, Ginny stepped out of the living room fireplace of her small flat. She dumped her bag on the linen sofa before heading down the hallway and made a left into the bathroom. There, she turned on the shower to let the water heat up before continuing into her bedroom. Once her hair had been shaken loose from its tight ponytail and she’d discarded her post-practice clothes, she made her way back to the bathroom, the late afternoon air cool against her bare skin.

The shower’s heat was a warm welcome. She stood for a moment, closing her eyes as she let the scorching water run down her body and over her already sore muscles. The Harpies had won every game since the start of the season in November, but their coach was pushing them harder than ever, and Ginny’s body was beginning to feel the strain. After a week of tight rolls, sudden dives, and drills that made her thighs shake with fatigue, she was ready to sleep away the weekend.

Except, she had someone to see first.

After rinsing her hair of strawberry conditioner, she moved onto washing her body, savoring the last moments she had underneath the water. Once done, she begrudgingly shut off the shower before stepping onto the bath mat, a shiver running down her spine from the sudden coldness as she wrapped herself in her favorite towel. Leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her, she walked into the bedroom, grabbed her wand from atop the nightstand, and perched on the edge of her bed.

After several minutes of using the Hot Air Charm on herself, Ginny’s hair was no longer sopping and she felt significantly warmer. Leaving her towel discarded on the bed, she stood up and wandered over to her closet, skimming her options. She landed on a rust colored jumper her mum had knitted a few years back and a pair of tight, faded blue jeans that hugged the muscles in her thighs and calves.

Once dressed and her hair had been brushed, its silky length hanging a little past her shoulders, she began to skim the earring rack atop her chest drawers, searching for the perfect match. Her eyes landed on a pair of dangly ceramic oranges, their tops adorned with both a cream colored blossom and a green leaf. She smiled softly to herself at the memory of Luna handing them to her on her nineteenth birthday, proudly proclaiming that she’d spent the entire night making them. Warmth filled her chest as she put them on.

Then, after slipping on her favorite pair of black canvas high-tops and shoving her wallet and driver's license into a tote bag, she headed out the door.

Living in a Muggle neighborhood had its perks, one of which being that Ginny’s flat complex had a large garage perfect for storing her old olive green Chevy Camaro, which Harry had gifted to her after teaching her how to drive a few years back. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she turned on the car and backed out of the space, exiting the garage. As she started down Valley Drive, the pale blue sky was tinged a soft yellow around the edges, and she knew she’d see twilight soon.

❖ ❖ ❖

Ginny arrived at the hillside farmhouse thirty minutes later, just as the sky was beginning to turn a brilliant shade of blush. She drove up the long dirt driveway and parked a little ways in front of the white porch stairs that led up to the lavender painted front door. Windchimes from the porch overhang jangled together in the small breeze that picked up, as did the small blossoms that dotted the Ingrid almond tree to the left of the house. Mid-February meant everything was beginning to bloom ― the row of potted daffodils on the porch railing, the clusters of wildflowers in the field behind the house, the large stretch of snowdrops to the right. Everywhere she looked, the world was ablaze with new color.

She put the car into park and beeped the horn. Then, she waited.

A minute or so later, the front door opened and out stepped Luna, her ashen blonde curls pulled up into a messy knot on top of her head. She waved before turning around to lock the front door, and Ginny couldn’t help but marvel at her light blue jumper with multi-colored pom poms sewn all over it, a black tulle skirt that reached just below her knees, and neon pink tights that matched her bright orange canvas shoes.

The sight of Luna made Ginny’s heart swell, despite the fact they’d been going on drives together every Friday night for the past two years. When they’d first started their weekly ritual, she’d tried desperately to kid herself into thinking that the kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach and easy embarrassment she felt around Luna was normal for friendship. However, as the first year of their drives passed and her feelings had stubbornly made their presence more known, she gave up denying the fact that she wanted to be Luna’s everything.

Luna wandered down the porch steps before sliding into the car, her skirt puffing out around her. There was a bright smile across her face, but she looked exhausted ― more so than one should at twenty-three. There were dark shadows underneath her eyes, and although always pale, her skin lacked the soft blush it had during their years at Hogwarts.

The war had affected them all in unexpected ways, but there was something about Luna’s hardships that upset Ginny to no end. She’d grown quieter ― far more reclusive ― after the Battle of Hogwarts, as though she’d shrunk into herself, and she’d revealed to Ginny last year that she was often too afraid to go to sleep for fear of dreaming of Malfoy Manor’s dungeon and the long row of dead bodies that had lined the Great Hall after the battle had drawn to a close. Ginny understood; she dealt with her own consequences of war ― sleeping with her nightstand lamp on, double-checking that she’d locked the door and windows to her flat every few hours, seeking reassurance where she wouldn’t have at age sixteen. However, the hurt that came with seeing Luna struggle year after year was something incomparable, and she wished more than anything that she could take the fear away from her.

Going on drives had proved rather beneficial for the both of them, providing a space and time for them to exist without expectations from Ginny’s teammates, Luna’s occupation as a research Magizoologist, or any family members striving to return to how things were pre-war. Because, really, there _was_ no going back.

“How are you?” Ginny asked as Luna buckled herself in.

“Oh, fine,” Luna said softly.

Ginny let out a heavy sigh. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“I’m alright, Gin,” Luna said, taking her hand and squeezing it. “I promise.”

Ginny caught on that, whatever it was, Luna didn’t want to talk about it. So, instead, they drove.

She backed down the driveway, then took a right onto the main country road. Luna turned on the radio before cranking down her window and letting her head rest on the windowsill, as she always did. Loose strands of hair blew around her face as she closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath of the sweet evening air, and Ginny felt more at ease seeing her so at peace.

Ginny turned left onto a narrower road that would take them on one of their favorite routes, blooming orchards and long-grassed hills surrounding them as the sky faded from a dusty pink to a soft lilac. An old Muggle song, _Wild Horses_ by a band called The Sundays, crackled through the radio, and Ginny found herself sinking into the words.

_Wild, wild horses couldn’t drag me away …_

_Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them someday._

Luna was softly humming along, and Ginny drank in the sound, not wanting the moment to end. If it was up to her, they would drive through the night, not stopping until they reached the edge of the world. She glanced at the clock, which read a quarter past six. She knew she only had so long left before their drive would end and she would have to say goodbye for another week.

Ginny looked towards Luna every few minutes, watching as soft light fell across her face, catching on her blonde eyelashes and washing her in a pale shade of lavender. The sight tugged at Ginny’s heartstrings, and she wished she could capture the sight, to be able to draw on it any time she wanted.

She wanted Luna to be happy ― desperately so ― but it was difficult to give her these moments without falling more in love.

And, truthfully, she stood no chance.

Luna had always expressed some level or queerness, preferring not to label herself in any restricting way. This had provided Ginny with some comfort when she’d come out as lesbian a year or so after the war and had been met with disappointment from her mother that had lasted several months. However, as the years passed, little about their sexualities were further discussed. From what Ginny gathered, Luna didn’t have the time, energy, or want to date.

And so, no matter how badly she wanted to come home to Luna every night, to exist in the same space and breathe the same air, she resigned herself to being content with their weekly drive. That was enough.

They veered right after a while, turning onto a road that ran along a creek hidden by a thicket of oak trees and the steady darkness that had suddenly crept in. Sunset had long passed, replaced with a clear, inky sky and bright silver stars that hung against the night. Off in the distance, Ginny could make out the soft sounds of owls hooting and deer running across the forest’s underbrush.

As much as she didn’t want the night to draw to an end, she began to slowly direct the car back in the direction of Luna’s farmhouse. And, just as it did every Friday, her heart began to break at the thought of saying goodbye.

They eventually pulled back into the long driveway, a cloud of dirt erupting around the car. Up ahead, golden light came flooding out of the kitchen window, spilling onto the driveway and illuminating the night. Reluctantly, Ginny put the car in park.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on hers. Looking up, she saw Luna staring back at her.

“Are you happy?” Luna asked.

Ginny frowned, taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Are you happy?” Luna repeated, her voice gentle and her eyes earnest. “Are you content?”

Ginny let out a heavy sigh, not entirely sure what to say. Sure, she was happy ― she had a flat, a job, teammates who cared for her, a family who loved her ― and yet a part of her hesitated. She longed for more than sleepless nights, and Quidditch practices that made her lungs burn, and spending countless hours wishing that she had more.

“Sometimes,” Ginny said, with a shrug.

“Why only sometimes?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know,” Ginny began, glancing down at her lap. “I think I feel like I’m just going through the motions of life, you know?”

“Alive, but not living,” Luna said, offering her a soft smile.

“Yeah,” Ginny said, nodding. 

Luna squeezed her hand. “What else?”

“I just think my life could hold so much more, but I don’t know how to let everything go,” Ginny explained, her throat tight. “The war ended six years ago, and I should have moved on by now. I landed my dream job, I’ve got this beautiful flat, I’m living the life I imagined as a child … but, the more I think about it, the more I wish I had something else.”

Luna frowned. “Like what?”

"Like you." It took her a moment to realize that she'd actually said the words.

Her words hung in the air, and Ginny couldn't speak, didn't even dare to break the silence. She realized the weight of what she said, and panic began to set in, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She looked down, swallowing thickly as hot tears began to well in her eyes, and tried to accept the fact that she had, in a single moment, managed to ruin her relationship with the one person who meant the world to her.

Just as she was about to say something ― _anything_ ― to break the tension, Luna reached her arm out, tilting Ginny’s chin up so that they were looking eye-to-eye.

“Hey.” Luna wiped a stray tear from the corner of Ginny’s eye. “You’re my wish, too.”

“You don’t have to say that, Luna. It’s alright―”

“I’m not just saying it,” Luna said, her thumb brushing against Ginny’s cheek. “Our drives are the only thing that’s kept me together these past few years, and I miss you when you’re not here. It’s like a piece of me is missing.”

“You mean that?” Ginny asked.

“Of course I do,” Luna said, her eyes softening. “So why don’t we make every day Friday?”

“Yeah, okay,” Ginny said softly as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening. “We can do that.”

Luna leaned forward, her hand moving to cup the nape of Ginny’s neck. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, and Ginny could feel Luna’s breath on her skin.

“May I kiss you?” Luna asked.

Ginny nodded.

Their lips met slowly, and Ginny could feel a warmth spreading through her chest. And suddenly, it didn’t matter that she felt broken most of the time, like she should be happy when she wasn’t ― like the more she tried to piece herself back together, the more she fell apart.

It didn’t matter that the war had changed her in a way she had yet to recover from, because Luna was the same.

Their lips broke apart, and Ginny saw that Luna was also crying, fat tears rolling down her face.

Wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve, Luna asked, “Think we could go for another drive tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Ginny said, letting out a soft huff of laughter. “I think we can manage that.”

They kissed once more before heading inside, making sure to lock the doors and windows along the way.


End file.
